Slack or cuttings removing attachment for kerf-cutting machines of the room and pillar type



T. 2,278,796 SLA-cx 0R cUTTINGs REMOVING ATTACHMENT FOR KERF-GUTTING April 7, 1942. E. PRAY MACHINES OF THE ROOM'AND PILLAR TYPE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed oct. 3o, 1940 C no1 41 INVENTQR Tifzy SEQ@ uw y. P

' ATTORNEY 2,278,796 HERE-CUTTING 5 sheets-sheet 2 APlll 7, 1942- T. E. PRAY 'I SLACK 0R CUTTING'S REMOVING ATTACHMENT FOR MACHINES 0F THE ROOM AND PILLAR TYPE Filed oct. so, 1940 1555?" @gaaf y. @ig

ATTOR NCY April 7, 1942. n T. E. PRAY l `SLACK OR CUTTINGS REMOVING ATTACHMENT FOR KERF'CUTTING MACHINES OF THE ROOM AND PILLAR TYPE Filed oct. bo, 1940 s sheets-sheet s mun-ron- T/amaf D@ Ar'ronuzv Patented Apr. 7, 1942 ,e 2,278,796

STATES PTNTVFICIEI'# BLACK, R CUTTINGS REMOVING ATTACH- MENT FOR KERF-CUTTING MACHINES OIF THE ROOM AND PILLAR- TYPE i Thomas E. Pray, Chicago, lll., assigner to Goodman Manufacturing Company,Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application October 30, 1940, Serial No. 363,394 Claims. l(Cl. 262530) This invention relates to improvements in Figure 3' isan enlarged fragmentary side View slack or cuttings removing attachments for kerfshowing the rear end of the kerf-cutting ma- Ycutting machines of the room and pillar type, and chine, with the vslack. removing ydevice attached has for its principal object to provide a relatively thereto, with parts of the kerf-cutting machine light, labor-saving device of the character de- `5 shown in longitudinalsection;

scribed, capable of easy attachment to a kerf- Figure`4 is a fragmentary plan View of the cutting machine of standard constructionv and parts shown in Figure 3, but drawn to a larger driven by power from the latter so as to remove scale;

the cuttings mechanically from the rear of the lFigure 5 is a detail section taken on line 5-5 machine. 10 of Figure 4; f

One of the most laborious requirements in the Figure 6 is an enlarged detail section showing operation of Keri-cutting machines is that of the drive coupling in longitudinal section; and clearing the slack or cuttings from the machine Figure l is a detail section taken on line 'I-l as they are ejected at the rear end by the cutter of Figure 3. chain. This work, usually done by hand shovel- Referring now to details of the embodiment of ying, is particularly diflicult under low roof conmy invention illustrated -in the drawings, the ditions in a mine. Moreover, since the developslack removing device indicated generally at A is ment of systems for removing the coal by conshown as applied to `a korf-cutting machine I0 veyers which are usuallydisposed in close proxof wellknown construction and operation, comimity to the working face, it is difficult, and some- 2o prising a' mein frame Il having a chain-carrying times impossible, to manipulate a shovel properly cutter bar I2 projecting forwardly from the main in the narrow space left between the rear end of frame;- Seid Cutter bar Operates in e Channel -the kerf-cutting machine and the conveyer. formed between themain frame and a base plete In carrying out my invention, I provide an at- I3, said 'channel opening t0 the rear end 0f the tachment consisting of a flight conveyer which machine. The cutter chain is driven from a can be attached to the rear end of a kerf-cutting Chain SDYOCket I4 (Figure 3) OperetiVeiy 00nmachine so as to be driven by power from the nected with a motor I6 disposed at the front of motor of said machine, said conveyer being disthe frame. Flexible feeding means is alSO PrO- posed'y with its lower end in position to receive the vided es usuel, herein comprising a pair of Windcuttings asthey are discharged by the cutter ing drums II, I1 at opposite sides of the machain at the rear end of the machine, and'with Chine, rsuitably driven from themotor I6, and itsY rear end inclined upwardly to clear the cutheVing' Cables I3, I8 thereon adapted t0 be entings mechanically from the rear of the machine, ehIed' et Suitable points' along the Werking face and, if desired, to discharge them onto another t0 feed the Cutter bei' t0 the Coal. conveyer for remova1 to a more remote part of f Kerf-cutting machines of the character herein the mine. f described arevusually transported from place to The conveyer is preferably in the form of an placeon a wheeled truck such as indicated at B attachment to be applied to the kerf-cutting main Figure 1, and While mOunteel 0n Said truck,

chine only at such times as the hitter is being the-latter-is driven by power from the motor I6 employed in actuai cutting operations. Thus at 40 of Seid machine- Fer this purpose, the running other times the cutting machine can be magear of `the truck B is connected as usuel, by neuvered about the mine floor, and transported Suitable gearing to a tongue I5, Which iS mOVed on its truck in the usual manner, without being into Operative engagement with a coupling memhampered by the added length of the slack-reber I9 at the real end 0f the mining machine moving device. l when the latter is mounted on said truck. In

The invention may best be understood by refthe form of machine herein illustrated, the couerence to the accompanying drawings, in which; plin'g member I9 is f'xed'on a longitudinal shaft Figure 1 is a plan view showing a mine sec- 20 driven from the motor I6 through -suitable tion in which a kerf-cutting machine is operatgearing (not Sh0W11) Said Coupling member 60ning, with a slack-removing device constructed in 0 SiStS 0f a hub 2l having an enlarged SOCket 22 accordance with my invention attached to the rotatably mounted in en annular opening 23 machine; 'in position to load the cuttings onto formed in e bearing Plate 24 mounted in a gear an auxiliary conveyer; casing 25 atfthe rear end of the main frame II.

Figure 2 is a, Side'view of the kerfeutting ma- The shaft 20 may also drive the cutter chain Chine and Sleek remover Shown in Figure 1; 55 sprocket' Hof the machine-through bevel pinion 26, bevel gear 21 on hub 28, and a sliding clutch member 29 on said hub, having selective engagement with clutch teeth 30 on sprocket shaft 3|.

The bearing plate 24 is detachably secured to the gear casing 25, as by bolts 33, 33 and 34, 34, the last named pair of bolts having threaded eX- tensions 35, 35 thereon which provide means for securing the slack removing device to the mining machine, as will presently appear.

It will be understood that in the usual operation of a Keri-cutting machine of the kind illustrated herein, it is transported from one working piace in the mine to another on the wheeled truck B, with the tongue I of said truck engaged in the coupling member I9 of the mining machine, so that the truck is propelled by power from the mining machine motor I6. Whenever the machine is to -be used for cutting coal, however, it is entirely withdrawn from the truck, and is moved over the mine floor on its own bottom by means of the cables I8, I8. Thus the slack removing device is only attached tothe rear end of the kerf-cutting machine during actual cutting, with 'a Iconveyer drive mechanism in operative engagement with the coupling member I9 so as to be driven from the cutting machine motor I6.

Referring now more particularly to details of .the slack removing device A, which forms the subject matter of the present invention, said device consists of an elongated frame 32 of a generally trough-like form, carrying an endless conveyer member indicated generally at 36 extending the length thereof. The frame 32 is adapted to .be supported at an upwardly inclined angle when attached to the kerf-cutting machine, with its front end engaging the rear end of the base plate I3 in position to receive the cuttings as they are discharged from the rear end of the cutter chain channel, as seen in Figure 3.

The lower or front end of the conveyer frame 32 is detachably mounted relative to the machine `frame I I, as by hooks 31, 31 projecting upwardly from side walls 39 of the'conveyer frame, and engageable with an upwardly flanged extension 40 along the rear end of the machine frame, above the rearwardly opening discharge end of the cutter chain channel.

The side walls 39, 39 of the frame 32 are rigidly connected together by a bottom pan 42 along which the upper reach of the endless conveyer 36 is guided for conveying action. Said conveyer is of the usual endless night type, including transverse nights 43, connected between conveyer chains 44, 44 along opposite sides thereof. The conveyer chains are trained over an idler shaft 45 at the lower front end of the frame, and over sprockets 46, 46 on cross shaft 41 journaled `at the upper end of said frame. In the form shown, the frame 32, together with its bottom pan 42, is curved adjacent its lowerend to form a relatively short, horizontal conveyer section. A pair of curved chain guides 48, 48 are mounted ony the side walls 39 to retain the upper reach of the conveyer in proximity to the bottom pan 42 along the curved portion of the latter.

The sprocket shaft 41 at the upper end of the frame has a drive sprocket 49 at one end thereof, connected by chain 59 to a sprocket 5I on a cross shaft 52. Said cross shaft is journaled at opposite' ends in a tubular cross member 53, having its opposite ends rigidly supported in upright-.supporting brackets 54 and 55 which in turn are rigidly supported on the side walls 39, 39 of the conveyer frame. The bracket 54 adjacent the drive chain 59 is preferably in the form of a casing closed by an end plate 56, to provide a housing for said ich-ain, as shown in Figure '7.

The tubular cross member 53 has an enlarged gear housing 5S intermediate its ends, within which is enclosed bevel gears 59 ,and 60, connecting the shaft 52 with a stub shaft 6I extending through the front of said housing. An extension shaft 62` is connected at its rear end to the stub shaft 6I by a universal joint 62a, and is connected at its front end to a stub shaft 63 by a universal joint 62D. The stub shaft 63 is rotatably mounted in a bearing sleeve 65 of la cover plate 66, and has a T-shaped head 61 forming a tongue adapted to fit in the socket 22 of coupling member I9, when the slack removing device is coupled in driving engagement with the mining machine.

The cover plate 66 is provided with an annular n'ange 68 on its inner face, adapted to fit in the `annular opening 23 of bearing plate 24. Said cover plate yprovides means for quick attachment and detachment of the slack removing device, and to this end has two arms 69 and 10 integral therewith and projecting laterally at opposite sides thereof. One of said arms, as for instance arm 69, has a slot 1I at one side thereof opening upwardly, and the other arm 10 has a slot 12 opening downwardly. The 'arrangement is such that by partial rotation of cover plate 66 relative to lbearing plate 24, the outer ends 35, 35 of bolts 34, 34 (which are fixed to the gear casing 25 of the mining machine, as previously described) kwill be engaged in the slots 1I and 'I2 of arms 69 and 10, respectively. The arms can then be secured in place by nuts 35a, 35a on said bolt ends 35, 35.

The rear end of the slack removing -attachment is connected to the cover plate 66 and supported at the proper inclination relative to the mining machine by a 4pair of links 15, 15, the front ends of which are pivotally connected at the outer ends of the arms 69 and 10, respectively, by `pins 16, 16. The rear endsV of said links are adjustably connected to .brackets 11, 11, herein shown as depending from the tubular cross shaft 53 at the rear of the conveyer frame. Said links are provided with a plurality of holes 18 adjacent their rear ends, which can be selectively engaged by pins 19, 19 in the brackets 11, 11 to vary the inclination of the conveyer fand the resulting point of delivery of the slack or cuttings, as desired. The drive shaft 62 is of the usualtelescopic form including an inner member and an outer sleeve 8|, adjustable longitudinally of each other to compensate for any changes' in length required.

The use and operation of the slack removing device labove described may now be explained ,as follows: The device is attached to the mining machine I0 onlyy at such times as said machine is dismounted from its transporting truck B, and preferably after the machine has beenl moved intocutting position relative to the working face of the mine. Thus the slack removing device does not add to the overall length or height of the cutting machine, so as to hamper its usual movements while it is `being transported from place to place on its truck, or While it is being dragged on its own bottom r'up to the Working face. When the machine is-ready tostart actual cutting, however, the attachment is readily secured to the rear of the machine by attachment of the hooks 31, 31 and the cover plate 66 to the rear of the .cutting machine, as already described. Attachment of the cover plate not only establishes the driving connection between the conveyer and the cutting machine motor, but completes the supporting connection for the lupper end of the conveyer frame through the links 15,15.

The attachment can be used in ordinary cutting operation for the purpose of discharging the cuttings on the mine floor at a distance from the rear end of the cutting machine. It can also be used to discharge the cuttings into an auX- iliary conveyer for removal to a more remote point, as indicated in Figure 1 of the drawings. It is particularly advantageous in certain mining systems employing a loading conveyer disposed along the working face in close proximity thereto, so as to leave limited space for operation of the cutting machine between the conveyer and the mine wall. `In such a system, the operation of the cutting machine in such close quarters is greatly facilitated by removing the cuttings mechanically and discharging them on the face conveyer, or at a point beyond such face conveyer, as desired. But in all cases, the slack removing device eliminates hand shoveling of the cuttings, and helps to speed up cutting operations.

While I have herein shown and described one form in which my invention may be embodied, it

will be understood that the construction thereof and the arrangement of the various parts may be altered without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. Furthermore, I do not wish to be construed as limiting my invention to the specific embodiment illustrated, excepting as it may be limited in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination with a kerf -cutting machine including a frame having a cuttings passage therethrough, a motor on said frame having a power coupling member adapted for detachable driving connection with a mining machine truck, and a chain carrying cutter bar in said cuttings passage driven by said motor and adapted to discharge the cuttings at one end of said passage, a cuttings removing device comprising a frame having a conveyer extending therealong, drive means for said conveyer, and means for detachably connecting said conveyer frame to said cutting machine frame so as to be wholly supported by the latter, with one end of said conveyer in cuttings-receiving relation at the discharge end of the cuttings passage of said kerf-cutting ma- 2. A cuttings removing device adapted for detachable connection with a kerf-cutting machine, comprising a frame having an endless conveyer thereon, drive means for said conveyer including a rotatable extension shaft having coupling means at its forward end adapted for detachable driving connection with a power-driven coupling member on the .kerf-cutting machine, means for detachably connecting the front end of said conveyer frame in cuttings-receiving relation with said kerf-cutting machine, and detachable tension means independent of said shaft for supporting the rear portion of said conveyer frame relative to said cutting machine.

3. A cuttings removing device adapted for detachable connection with a kerf-cutting machine, comprising a frame having an endless conveyer thereon, drive means for said conveyer adjacent the rear end of said frame including a rotatable telescopic extension shaft having coupling means at its forward end adapted for detachabledriving connection with a power-driven coupling member on the kerf-cutting machine, means for detachably connecting the front end of said conveyer frame in cuttings-receiving relation with said kerf-cutting machine, and detachable linkage means adjustable in length for supporting the rear portion of said conveyer frame at varying elevated angles relative to said cutting machine.

4. A cuttings removing device adapted for detachable connection tothe kerf-cuttingmachine, comprising a frame having an endless conveyer thereon, drive means for said conveyer adjacent chine, said detachable connecting means includthe outer end of said frame including a rotatable extension shaft having coupling means at its forward end adapted for detachable driving connection with a power driven coupling member on the kerl-cutting machine, a coupling support for said coupling means adapted for detachable supporting connection With said kerf-cutting machine, linkage means connecting said coupling support with the rear end of said frame, and means for detachably connecting the front end of said conveyer frame in cuttings-receiving relation with said cutting machine.

5. In a cuttings removing device adapted for detachable connection with a kerf-cutting machine, a frame having an endless conveyer thereon, drive means for said conveyer including a rotatable extension shaft having coupling means at its forward end adapted for detachable driving connection with a power driven coupling member on the kerf-cutting machine, a detachable bearing support for said coupling means having two laterally extending arms each having means intermediate its ends for detachable connection with said kerf-cutting machine, and each having a link pivotally connected adjacent its outer end and extending rearwardly for supporting conf THOMAS E. PRAY. I 

